Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-30
TALK WITH GEORGE ALFRED
TOWNSEND.
His Literary Plans and Mountain
Retreat.

4
SUCCESS OF "KATY OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES To
BE THE FUTURE LITERARY CENTER-PEoPIE AND
POLITICS OF UPPER MARYLAND.
Mr.. George Alfred Townsend has been known to
Washington people since the close OF the war.
While residing here, from 1868 to 1874 he pub
lished his first volume OF poems, two large books
On government, and several OF the tales afterward
collected in 'Tales OF the Chesapeake" and ''Bo-
hemian Days" The Lobby Brother" one OF these
tales was the first story legislation to ma de
| about the American capital.
Removing to New York In 1874, Mr.. Townsend
| has kept one hand On this capital and dealt with
the commercial and social topics OF the metropolis
| at the same time, covering the widest editorial
and descriptive range Of topics, leading the indus
try OF press writer's yet making two romances,
"Ihe Entailed Hat" and 'Katy of Catoctin," each
| as long and as antiquarian as Sir Walter SCOTS
| novels He has written the historical drama
| called president Cromwell" and published his
corrected poetical addresses, delivered before va
nous colleges and societies.
| Completing his library and excursions into the
| historical field, he has recently made himself a
| summer home in one OF the battle-heids OF the
| war. Cranpton's Gap, South Mountain Md, and
| prepared 20 DO more rather than less work. with
iaeitleS near Washington. and his city house still
This return to the field of his first successes led
| 10 some inquiries of him by STAR representative
| during the past week.
| DO you consider mountain Maryland as cool as
| the New DIRK mountains?"
About the same. Every gap in the long South
Mountain viii probably be taken up. The Airing
! TON hotel people have gone as far as Mount Holly
| cap, near Carlisle. Monterey Springs was made
Lew last year at Blue Ridge Summit. The Blue
| Mountain House has almost carried along the
| Western Maryland Railroad. Mrs. Dahlgren and
myself have improved and inhabited the two
gaps, six miles apart, which were unitedly
| Mountain. think
| WASHINGTON WILL BE THE LITERARY CENTER
or the United states, and it is the healthy
| mountain elevations than any Atlantic city.
| preferred to be at Iaying-on times nearer Wash
ington than New York"
| 'Why?"
| 1T Is cheaper to build and live. Fashion and
mladlemen have not got into that country. The
mechanics KNOW little about modern building, but
| they can learn. Labor is never above dollar
day. My last stone house, which is 81 feet long,
| Or course furnished the materials. The carpen-
Ter work cost $40. l designed it myself. and put
IN IL lerTa-cotta, chimney-tile, open beams, bays
SuiihySide-stone porch and all that. am
| ELEVEN HUNDRED FEET ABOVE WASHINGTON CITY,
/ and can see over three large valleys and % miles
radius; Catoctin Valley, Pleasant Valley, Cumber-
| land Valley, and may add the Loudoun valley
are all beneath me. l go down the mountain one
nile TO railroad station; down the opposite side
/ 10 town. Six miles from me Is the Potomac and
! basS-hohlng; they say trout are in some OF the
/ brooks Chickens are or cents pound, and
| peer i. Inc nights are always cool. Wood is
/ S1.oO Il c0rd.''
Up THE METROPOLITAN ROAD.
| 'How long does it take to go to city from
+ Gapandc'"
J Il get to Washington after early breakfast at
( quarter TO 10, and leaving a5 half-past ) get to
Gapland for supper. Three daily trains run to
| HagerSt0wn, eighteen miles distant, where all
| foods but fish are cheaper than in Baltimore
HagerotoWn has two hotels Washington might
envy. can leave Gapland at s p. III. and be in
New York at next morning. can drive 70 Fred
I
Harper's Ferry is eight miles away from me; An
tieSam neid seven They tell me 1 can drive to
Bedford Springs next summer in two days"
tOps?"
I'm the gaps, yes; that makes the gap lands
valuable. dug well. and at 81 feet had living
water from pure sandstone, when stands 30 feet
In the Wei, and by my inimiiI is carried across
the public road into my two stone buildings Ii is
iuI when the springs 100 feet below me 20 dry
Luck generally attends city people who go TO the
country, because they try to achieve something.
country people stand in their own light by sup
posing strangers 10 be their pickings Intelligent
people may overdo themselves. but they MAKE
ambition spring around them. am told that the
man who bought Ley land at tax sale Tor SIT and
received $40 from me, after keeping it nearly 80
years, says he would not have sold IL TO me II he
supposed could get water: yet he could have dug
wei for 500
-, Are there Intelligent people in the upland part
"some are quite intelligent, others are very hos
pltaoie Many are without education, and do not
can see tue value OF education from the
fact that have employed an average of fifteen of
those unedrated people two years, when hardly
any otner W0rN Was to be had. and / came
among them only in pursuit OF a theme for book
and made al their wages out of the educational
trade. The same can be said of Mrs Uahrren
who has probably spent twenty Thousand dollars
among generally iiliterate people Euoch Tottan
has built u summer residence up that way out of
MS law e1ucatioA. An extraordinary Surplsage
OF labor Is in that country but it cal ONLY do field
labor I'LL Instructed by strangers of means and
taste ] inler from the Old clocks. sideboards, and
handWork TO be seen there that the carpenters
knew more sixty years ago than those OF the pres
ent day Slavery was one OF those things that kept
growing Gies!ner and meaIer toward the last it
TOOK away the tastes and lett even the appetites
rude"
The SLUGGISH B. AND o. ROAD
"Are the railroad facilities equal 10 those NJ tho
North?" - '-0
'No. Now that Mr.. Clement has returned tn
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad we hope that the
local trains will make better connections. 1t mas
been customary 10 wait at Weyerton one hour
after the morning train West arrives, before the
HagerstoWn branch train starts OF, and you can
see low little the enforced wait mas helped the
hotei there by the fact that the large Weverton
motel, which has not had OF paint for wears
is offered FOR sale for three thousand dollars. a
| new railroad station Is being put up there now
lie BEST building sites around Washington are up
/ the hagerSt0wn branch. in Pleasant VALLEY wher,
/ the road rises among the mountains so ieet tn
the mile. The day is probably near when the
Davis and ElkinS railroad viii be extended from
Cumberland, down the canal path to Washinpl on
| me canal has had its day. / think there Is no
bridge between the Great Falls anu iarpers Ferry
| though the bridges burnt in 1863 at Point of
| ROCKS and Berlin only require superstrucJures
y double track to Point OF Rocks from Washing
4 ION Is lmperatiyely needed"
UPLAND MARYLAND REPUBLICAN,
: what Is the politics OF mountain Maryland?n
| "kepublican. 1t has the only republican men,
i Der from Maryland. AT post-office near me thev
| appointed democrat who could not write. and
they had to put the republican postmaster back
| to have the letters delivered. Ii MARYLAND was q
| republican State IL would expedite eastern and
western settlement In it to the monetary vaIue Of
| millions. The alliance between the Republican
/ PharlseeS OF The North and the slave state demo-
| cratic heeierS ought 10 invite the devil back 10
/ THIS earth. State rights has for its monuments
/ the standing cnlinueyS Or persisted towns and
the staining preJGdIce5 OF persisted pride and
/ Patriotism. The abandonment OF the MON rnen
OF the southern mountains by the LevfteS OF New
| 1Ork anu New England Is enough to bring the
| GOOD samaritan IRON his grave TO show his
wounds. IC may be said that this is the quicker
way 10 destroy the old public enemy, but am moi
OF the iaith 10 support evil that good may come Of
| IL. LOOK at the lew benefactlonS 10 MarylaGn-
1 those Ol En0cn Pratt, johns Hopkins and Samuel
! SLOeindntT. IL Is enough TO say That they were
| Republicans some talk about republican rlnrs
| LOOK at New YORK city! Look at Maryland! Look
at Garter HaTrisoniS!n in Chicago. Look at Arkap-
| Sas, and then LOOK at Kansas. Washington eli v
was peck OF dirt til II became the truly Federal
| city again"
GLOW do you find time to write historical novels.
ana 90 50 Eluch newspaper work?"
CITY AND COUNTRY AS ENERGIzER AND TRAM
| QuILIzER-